Remembrance
by hawktakesflight
Summary: Events have already been set into motion, and the titanic final battle awaits all. Although one knows that one must look forward in life, there are some things the Smashers will never forget. Seventh, and final, chapter up. Many thanks to those who R&R.
1. Threat

**Hello all.**

**Thank you all for reading. This is the first chapter of **_**Remembrance**_**, a Lucario-based fic. It will be dark, more so than **_**Claustrophobia**_**. However, due to the nature of the plot, I doubt it will be as Lucario-centric, but nevertheless I hope you will enjoy it all the same.**

**I belive that the Lucario in SSBB is the same as the one in **_**Lucario and the Mystery of Mew**_** – an admittedly typical cheesy kids' movie, with apparently random plot devices, but somehow Lucario makes it more worth watching.**

**One more note, though – Snake talks in Japanese, hence his dialogue will be in Japanese unless otherwise stated. Lucario is also able to speak Japanese – he can speak human language, as a rule. If there are any discrepancies, please PM or review, and I will try to rectify it.**

**So without further ado, please enjoy. Thank you for reading, reviews are more than welcome.**

**hawk**

**---**

Remembrance

The sun – or whatever provided the light – had started to set, spilling slits of red across the Smash Mansion. Shimmering rays of light picked out various Smashers in the Mansion's open Garden, or probed their way into some Smasher's empty rooms. One particular ray descended around Smash Mansion in a graceful arc, past the roof, and found a blue-furred Pokémon staring straight back at it.

Lucario sat cross-legged upon the roof of Smash Mansion, allowing his large red eyes to travel, past the Smashers at play, the sliding disappearing rays of light... and then froze. The Aura Filters on the back of his head rose imperceptibly, and he stiffened as his eyes remained focused on a single spot in the sky.

Solid Snake had crept onto the rooftop – without the use of his box – and immediately saw the jackal-shaped silhouette at the edge of the roof. Careful not to fall off, he picked out a path across the roof, eventually settling down beside Lucario. Then Snake noticed that Lucario didn't even acknowledge his presence, but was staring straight into space, red unblinking eyes fixed intently, ears bolt upright, with an occasional twitch.

After a long, awkward pause, Snake decided to break the silence. "Rukario?" Lucario didn't move, even at the mention of his true Japanese name, but his voice sounded in Snake's mind, in fluent Japanese. _I saw you come. _His voice sounded slightly faint, but otherwise alright. Snake grunted a little, then proceeded to rearrange himself in a more comfortable position.

_Trouble._ Lucario's telepathic voice suddenly intruded upon Snake's thoughts. Snake looked at Lucario, to find Lucario continuing to stare into space. Solid Snake didn't mingle with the Aura Pokémon much, but he could sense the seriousness in Lucario's voice.

"How do you know?" Lucario didn't move, but his left ear twitched slightly. _There's a disturbance. In the Aura. I know not what caused it, nor where it is, but –_ his voice broke off, and suddenly Snake found himself staring straight into Lucario's deep red eyes.

_It is there. And closer than we think._

---

Fox and Falco retreated to their corners on Battlefield. It had been one long, drawn out friendly brawl, and both of them were panting as though they had swallowed a good portion of Peach's infamous curry broth. Falco attempted a grin, suddenly dashing forwards and attacking at close range with his wings. Fox merely smiled and clashed with Falco, his fast-moving legs more than enough to meet Falco's wingtips.

The mad dance continued for a minute or so, both of them grabbing items, wishing for a powerful Pokémon, and Falco narrowly missed Fox with a Bob-omb, thanks to the fox's quick reflexes and rolling skills. Fox, in return, swiped a newly-spawned Smart Bomb and primed it, and then sent it flying towards Falco. Immediately, Falco met it with a Blaster shot, detonating the bomb in midflight in the middle of the Battlefield stage.

Fox cursed under his breath as Falco smirked, both of them falling back to avoid the blast range.

The Smart Bomb swallowed up the immediate vicinity in a spherical violent flame, and once again Falco was grateful for his quick thinking - that could have hurt. He cocked his Blaster, ready to fire once the Smart Bomb's effects had disappeared.

So it was no surprise that Fox was equally stunned when the Smart Bomb's violent flame suddenly turned a violent purple hue, and suddenly exploded once again in a shower of violet sparks.

---

Snake pressed on with his questioning. "Closer? Where? Your homeworld?" Lucario closed his eyes and put his paws to his temples, shaking his head slightly. _Here. The Smash Mansion._ The Aura Filters dropped lifelessly to his collar as Lucario suddenly stood, surprising Snake.

_There is a danger we do not know, _Lucario voice sounded tired. _I do not even know what is causing it or where is it exactly, but it is so close._ Snake stood up, a head taller than the blue-furred jackal-shaped Pokémon, his boots scraping on the roof, as Lucario swiftly turned once again to fix his eyes on the horizon, which was now awash with a blood red glow.

---

The two anthropomorphic animals leapt backwards as the purple sphere expanded explosively, shedding a thick layer of violet sparks. They balanced on the respective tips of Battlefield arena, as the purple sphere consumed even the solid foundation of the stage, the craggy piece of stone Battlefield appeared to be hewn from.

Eventually it stopped expanding and the animals could get a closer look at it. Violet sparks continued to fall around them, until Fox saw one up close and realised that it wasn't a long-lived spark, but more of tiny fuzzy ball, like nightmarish snowflake parodies – and then the realisation hit him so hard that he nearly lost his balance on the precarious ledge of Battlefield.

The huge violet bubble embedded in Battlefield glowed darkly, and within it several imperceptible sparks of light lit it up sporadically from within. It seemed to hum a soft hum, but it could have just been Fox's imagination...

"Fox? Fox!" Fox jerked back to attention. Falco's voice drifted through from behind the sphere. "Yeah?" "Good, I thought you dropped off Battlefield on me. Your orders?" The falcon's voice was clear and serious, all toying around had been suspended.

Fox looked around him. Already the surrounding sky was a dark scarlet, threatening dusk was almost upon them. The once-mighty Battlefield now had a huge sphere stuck into the middle of it, even swallowing up part of the rocky ground. Fox decided to make a call, and hoped he wouldn't regret it. "Let's go."

With a leap, a fox and a falcon disappeared from this world and entered the enigmatic twilight world of Subspace once again.

---

Lucario swiftly ran through the corridors, snout pointed forwards like a determined missile and his forepaws stretched out behind him at an angle, his long blue tail streaming from behind him. His hindpaws appeared to barely graze the ground, yet Lucario sped forwards at high speed. Snake followed him, running as fast as he could while still remaining relatively silent.

"Where to?" Snake was about to ask, but Lucario's voice answered it before his could ask it. _Master Hand. We will see what Master Hand says._ Snake didn't reply, but followed the blue-and-black blur as they raced towards the large double doors.

As fast as he was moving, Lucario skidded to a halt in front of Master Hand's doors, halting his momentum by screeching silently to a halt. Snake plodded up behind as Lucario rapped his paw sharply on the large double doors. _Master Hand. I request an audience._ Snake sighed internally – Lucario apparently had served a royal subject, and was accustomed to formalities and frequently employed such formalities and politeness. Lucario, however, saw no fault in it, and so continued his behaviour.

_Enter._ The voice of Master Hand echoed in both Lucario's and Snake's minds. Lucario put a paw on one of the doors, then turned to look at Snake. Snake nodded. Lucario paused, looking down at the foot of the door for a second, before decisively swinging the large door inwards.

---

"Well."

Fox and Falco stopped struggling, kicking, and attempting to untie their knots, but instead looked around wildly for the source of the voice. Instead, all they saw were masses and masses of Primids, more Primids, larger Primids, and assorted small fry and commanders who were responsible for their capture. Even the Star Fox pilots could not fight off such ridiculous odds, especially when the pathway back to the Smash Mansion had been blocked off.

"No one looks up."

Instantly, their necks popped as they looked upwards, seeing for the first time in a long time the ruler of Subspace. Tabuu floated majestically in midair, his blue humanoid body glowing and rippling with data streams flowing on, around and through it. He was still in that perpetual false "thinking" position, a shimmering blue hand on his chin.

_That gives the impression he's pondering deeply, but probably was wondering the best means of torture or death for us_, Fox thought grimly. _Sorry, Falco._

"Now. I won't torture you. Or kill you. Yet." Tabuu's voice seemed to come from all around, although by tilting their necks at impossible angles, Fox and Falco could make out Tabuu floating in the Subspace sky.

"Yeah, and we're not going to be your Shadow puppets again, I suppose? Or is all this for a nice refreshing cup of tea? Kill us if you want, but don't play games with us!" Falco's voice rang out behind him, loud and clear. As they were tied back-to-back, Fox couldn't see Falco, although his bound wings were trussed up next to his paws, and at least one of them was bleeding pretty heavily.

Tabuu said nothing, but a Primid moved forward and disappeared from Fox's sight. A second later, there was a stifled _oof_, and Falco's back was pushed roughly against Fox's. Falco hacked a little, and then coughed raspily.

"I won't kill you. Yet." Tabuu continued on, as if Falco had never spoken. "I need a messenger. Send word." Falco looked up at Tabuu's blue face, and could have sworn there was a slight smirk on it.

"I return." These two words were spoken in a different tone, a more menacing one, and it sent shivers down the spines of both fox and falcon.

"Go." Primids advanced, but instead of winding them with more punches, they cut cleanly through the thick ropes binding them together. The Star Fox pilots stood up uneasily, rubbing their sore wrists. Meanwhile, the Primids cleared a path for them, standing on either side of a clear road towards the portal back to Battlefield.

Fox caught Falco's eye, and nodded. At the same instant, both of them took off running, heading for the shimmering colourful portal at the end of the Primid-walled road. Fox ran through Falco's face through his mind again at that instant he looked at him – Falco was bleeding from the forehead, probably a result from the Primid punch just now. That was the arrogant Falco he knew, and there and then he felt proud of his co-pilot as they raced towards the portal.

---

_Messenger. _Tabuu thought to himself, lazily stretching out one hand towards the back of the two sprinting animals, a tiny golden arrow slowly materialising on a fingertip, spinning carelessly.

_Singular._


	2. Happenings

**Hello all.**

**Firstly, many thanks to Shadow Blues, NinjaSheik, lupyne and Diabowserker for reviewing. I greatly appreciate them and thank you for your kind reviews and comments.**

**I had originally planned this chapter to be slightly longer, but decided to move the final parts of this chapter to the next one, instead.**

**Hope you all will continue to enjoy the fic, and thank you all once again for your support. Reviews are more than welcome.**

**hawk**

**---**

Remembrance – Chapter Two

The heavy double doors swung open.

The blue-furred jackal-shaped Pokémon and the stealthy soldier padded quietly into the room. Lucario looked around him, blue Aura flickering nervously about his blue paws. Snake walked silently, bandana flipping slightly behind his head, almost like Lucario's Aura Filters.

They faced a large mahogany desk, placed in the far corner of the large rectangular room. As exquisite as the desk was, the entity behind it was even more intriguing. Master Hand floated a few inches off the ground, facing Lucario and Snake. The giant disembodied glove didn't have apparent eyes, but a queer, cold focus permeated the room as Master Hand appeared to stare at the duo.

Lucario bowed, dipping his head to his yellow-furred torso. _Master Hand. I believe that great danger is imminent, and it may concern all._ Master Hand didn't respond, so Lucario took it as a cue to continue.

_I sense new unfriendly Aura. From the roof I have observed a small explosion of Aura – and most of it malevolent. I also fear Smashers may have been in contact with this new Aura._

Master Hand stirred a little. _From where did it originate?_ Lucario started, and tried to pinpoint in his mind's eye the roof's dusk sky. _Towards the west,_ Lucario murmured, remembering pointing his nose along the western axis of the Mansion.

---

The Smash Mansion was like Final Destination, in that it rested on an apparently suspended platform, floating in the middle of nowhere. It was also like Battlefield, in that the platform was apparently hewn from a large rock. The Mansion was situated on it such that it rose, large and intimidating, from its foundations.

The Smash Mansion wasn't alone in the Smash Universe – that would have been an awful waste of space. And as such, the Hands had suspended their two central stages in a wide orbit around it, such that from the Mansion one could travel via the teleportation platforms, but the stages would remain unseen, imperceptible, from the Mansion.

And from the unseen depths of the rapidly darkening sky, a small spark of light flashed for a brief instant, and then was swallowed by the oncoming dark.

---

In the Smash Lounge, some of the Smashers relaxed or gathered together. The younger Smashers decided to abandon their game and have a brawl, and the Ice Climbers, Toon Link, Ness and Lucas rushed out the Lounge door, and made for the teleportation room for the first available stage, chattering loudly in Japanese and Hylian, with an assortment of squeals and laughs.

"Kids", grunted Ganondorf.

There was a dull thud. Then a scream shattered the night silence, followed by more thudding like a giant's stumbling footsteps. Luigi tripped over his own feet, Bowset turned his large head, and even Ganondorf looked up with curiosity.

The Lounge door slammed open.

But instead of the young Smashers, the Smashers were surprised to see a bloody Fox and Falco, with reddened marks stark against their fur and feathers.

Fox was panting heavily and gripped his knees, his chest heaving as he struggled to make a coherent sentence. Falco made several hacking noises, fluttering his wings agitatedly.

All this time, the other Smashers didn't move. They were either shocked into submission or were gaping uncontrollably at the badly wounded duo.

At length, Fox straightened up, and shook his head to clear his mind. He stepped forward and stuttered "T – T – Tab – " before suddenly seizing up and crumpling to the ground. Fox's collapse brought about a sudden change in the Smashers – the nearer ones quickly started forwards and tried to help Fox up.

No one noticed as the door to the Lounge swung lazily on its hinges behind them.

---

Master Hand had wanted Lucario rescan the horizon. Lucario stood in the middle of the large rectangular room, kneeling, closing his eyes as the Aura Filters on the back of his head rose.

A flash of blue, and then Lucario's Aura vision settled into place – Lucario discerned the odd Aura of the Hand, and the Aura of Snake, then allowed his vision to travel through the Mansion walls, and suddenly found the oddity in the Aura signature in the darkening sky. It appeared as a small blip in the smooth faint currents of Aura in the sky, emanating faint traces of emotion which Lucario could not discern but felt uneasy nonetheless.

Lucario suddenly shut his eyes tighter, realising something. The blip had gotten bigger – it was definitely easier to spot now then when he was still on the roof. What more, now he was within the Mansion itself...

The Aura Pokémon shook his head, eyes still screwed shut, permitting his Aura vision to sweep momentarily across the Mansion. He involuntarily jerked his head backwards at a certain sight near the Smash Lounge – the Auras of some Smashers were faint, ebbing away –

Snapping his eyes open, Lucario spun around on one hindpaw to face Master Hand. _Something's wrong at the Lounge!_ _Some are injured! Even their Aura is receding – _Lucario closed his eyes again, raising his forepaws to his temples, shaking his head violently. Snake started to look a little worried, and subconsciously his hand went for his Grenade pouch.

---

Fox stumbled to his feet, and cleared his throat the best he could. "I – uh – Tab– " but once again he was interrupted. The cause of the interruption this time was slightly more disconcerting – Fox felt the electric twinge of the Blaster shot surge through his right shoulder, as the collective shot brought him once again to his knees.

Behind him, Falco had apparently turned a violent shade of purple, including his feathers, his gear... his Blaster was held in an outstretched purple hand, the smoking barrel now pointed at Fox's head. Only the uncontrollable shaking of that hand – or indeed, the entirety of Falco's body – had caused that first shot to miss its target between Fox's ginger ears.

There was a moment of silence.

And then Falco fired.

---

Lucario's ears picked up the Blaster shots while speeding through the corridors in the Mansion – Snake kept pace with him, all stealth forgotten, as the duo darted through the long corridors from Master Hand's office to the Lounge.

"I only hope we're not too late –" Snake's voice was slightly subdued. Lucario said nothing, but focused on running.

They rounded the corner, and Lucario had barely a split-second to register anything before his reflexes activated, leaping over a fuzzy green obstacle which his hindpaws would have otherwise crashed into. At the same time, Lucario detected the weakening Aura as he sped past, causing him to come to a sudden and complete halt, his forepaws abruptly gripping the floor once again.

Toon Link lay on the floor, bloody and panting, but alive.

_What the – _Lucario paused momentarily, but launched a hindpaw into the now-closed door of the Smash Lounge, sensing malevolent Aura directly behind it.

The door broke off its hinges, knocking into the purple Falco and throwing his Blaster out of his grip. Lucario involuntarily took a step backwards upon seeing the grotesque scene – The room was peppered with Blaster shot scars, Fox lay face-down on the floor, and the other Smashers stood poised, but unready for battle.

But by far the most startling thing was Falco: totally covered in purple, wings and legs moving like an ancient wooden puppet Lucario had once seen, already jerkily pulling out another Blaster from a hip pocket – every inch the grim and grotesque messenger of death.

---

The night sky closed in around the Smash Mansion, draping it in a cover of darkness. In the shadows, something loomed against the black background, travelling slowly, but surely, and increasingly faster, in a large descending spiral around the Smash Mansion.


	3. Engage

**Hello all.**

**Due to time constraints I was not able to complete this at my usual timing, but here it is, and I hope that you will enjoy it nonetheless.**

**Many thanks to Shadow Blues, NinjaSheik, lupyne and Espolchu for their kind reviews and support. I do hope you will continue to enjoy this fic, and thank you all once again for reading. Reviews are definitely welcome.**

**hawk**

---

Remembrance – Chapter Three

Falco suddenly spun around, purple wingtips cutting small grooves into Lucario's fur. Lucario immediately recovered from his surprised stupor and dodged the next blows, holding up his black-furred paws to counter Falco's furious slashes – yet not willing to strike.

The purple liquid flexed, mechanically moving Falco's wing in a determined strike, the blow landing heavily against Lucario's muzzle. Lucario flinched, but struck once with his paw. But right before his paw made contact with the purple Falco, the purple colour drained away from his right shoulder, and Lucario's paw struck at Falco's blue-feathered shoulder, the pilot's vest torn away in ribbons.

Lucario staggered backwards, shocked by the formidable enemy he faced. No matter where he struck, the purple covering dissipated before impact, forcing Lucario to miss for fear of hitting Falco. Flaring with blue Aura, his paws repeatedly missed their target as the violet covering repeatedly retreated from Falco's body, only to re-conquer it once Lucario dared not strike. The only consolation was the spare Blaster Falco once wielded – batted aside as Lucario dealt a swift strike to it, sending it spinning harmlessly across the ground.

Quickly changing his strategy, Lucario slammed Falco to the ground, firmly holding down his neck and wingtips. True to form, the purple melted away from Falco's upper body, revealing a destroyed pilot's vest and a terrified Falco staring up at Lucario's face. What Lucario didn't count on was the purple liquid running up Lucario's forepaws, momentarily gluing them to Falco's torso.

_Hold on - _Lucario started, but Falco's legs were sent wheeling up, striking Lucario cleanly across his snout, sending him skidding across the floor. Lucario got up again, more slowly this time, shaking his head slightly, and then tensed as he faced Falco, once again fully consumed by the purple horror, purple snowflakes dancing menacingly on the floor.

Suddenly, Falco made a gawking sound, and abruptly crumpled. Snake stood behind him, his arm held in a vicelike grip on Falco's neck but his other laid Falco gently to the ground. Immediately, Link and Pit rushed up and placed their sword and bow respectively against each of Falco's wings, while Snake pinned Falco's legs with the length of his Grenade Launcher, so preventing him from striking again, while each of Falco's limbs struggled mightily to get up, but failed.

There was an awkward silence of about a second or two, enough for someone to comment "Uh, well – "

Then there was a small flash of gold, and then Falco's body convulsed violently, the purple liquid shimmering and boiling. His beak opened in a silent scream, but no sound came out. In a second, the purple tinge melted away from his body, becoming a small, harmless pool of Shadow Bugs diffusing from his body.

What was left was a destroyed Lounge, its door beaten off its hinges; a trail of blood, splattered scarlet in the corridor; and a dead falcon, with a small golden arrow embedded in his neck.

---

Lucario awkwardly made his way forward, hesitantly approaching Fox's limp body which still lay face-down on the Smash Lounge flooring. Passing his paw over the body, Lucario was surprised to detect faint Aura emanating from it – a sign that Fox was still alive, but that his Aura was greatly weakened. A blackened scorch on the flooring right next to the tip of Fox's ears indicated how close the Star Fox pilot had come to death by his own teammate's Blaster.

He concentrated harder, dropping to his knees at Fox's side, holding both paws over Fox's bloodied back. The pilot's Aura washed Lucario's paws in a slight blue shimmer, and in it Lucario read hurt, surprise, and an agonizing sense of loss.

---

_The middle-aged man in the cloak turned suddenly from his training, attention suddenly diverted. Lucario immediately paused in mid-step, still balancing on only one hindpaw, but his eyes following his master's every move._

_Sir Aaron cradled a young ball of feathers in his cupped hand, and then turned to Lucario. The Aura Pokémon immediately padded over to his master, and peered at what he held in his hands. The ball of feathers in question was a trembling young bird – so young, but yet it bore the scars of a vicious battle of the sky. Lucario recognized with a jolt that the bird's Aura was uncharacteristically weak: so weak, that any time it might diffuse from the frail body – permanently._

_His hands still cupped around the bird, they glowed a soft blue. A small sphere of blue light appared in Sir Aaron's hands, expanding slightly to engulf the young bird. _Master!_ Lucario started, but Sir Aaron only smiled back. "Watch"._

_And Lucario watched as Sir Aaron's Aura flickered a little, and seemed to deplete, if only a little. The Aura of the bird was suddenly ignited, flared up for a moment, and then slowly resettled in a more natural pattern, the bird weakly opening an eye to examine Lucario's startled red ones._

"_Restoration of Aura", Sir Aaron concluded, "helps those who have their Aura weakened through extensive mental and physical stress... at a cost of some of your own. It'll regenerate over time," smiling kindly at Lucario's sudden horrified expression, which betrayed his deep concern for Aaron's well-being._

"_Just remember though – they still aren't invincible, and neither are you. Loss of too much of anyone's Aura – theirs or yours – is fatal."_

---

Lucario sighed inwardly, then closed his eyes again as he concentrated, holding his paws mere inches from Fox's body. As blue flames of his Aura licked his forepaws, he willed it to be directed to the unconscious Fox. He felt a small sphere of Aura flicker in and out of existence between his paws, and opened his eyes a crack.

The Aura sphere was not like his offensive attack – rather, it was a paler shade of blue, but within the pale orb was a certain richness of tone. Lucario, momentarily distracted, reminded himself of the task at hand. The sphere obligingly grew bigger, until it touched the back of the unconscious fox.

Suddenly, Lucario winced as he felt his Aura drawn away from him as it was channelled into Fox – it was not exactly physical pain, but it certainly left a scar. His Aura vision faltered slightly as a blue miasma crept into view, but it was quickly dispelled upon seeing Fox's Aura suddenly growing and becoming stronger.

Lucario terminated the contact, stumbled backwards into a sitting position, grasping his head in his paws. Beside him Fox stirred slightly, drawing relieved sighs from the onlooking Smashers. The Smashers, not knowing exactly what had happened, decided not to question, but instead agreed to transport Fox and the other injured kid Smashers to the ward before he started asking about Falco.

---

"Rukario."

Lucario saw Snake walking towards him in the corridor, and nodded in response. Both of them walked in silence towards the exit leading to the Smash Mansion's Garden.

"It's time."

---

Master Hand turned towards the group of gathered Smashers in the great Hall of the Mansion. The news travelled fast, and soon the entire Mansion's population had known of the unfortunate incident in the Lounge. But what was more surprising was Master Hand's announcement.

_Lucario has detected possibly malevolent Aura approaching. _The glove's calm telepathic voice resounded in everyone's minds. _The approach has been confirmed._

Everyone sat upright, intent on hearing what Master Hand had to say. Lucario pricked his ears up, fearing the worst.

_A previously unidentified object is headed in an imminent collision course for Smash Mansion. Direction change of the Mansion has failed to stop its approach, and although we have but only just detected it, it has already moved into close proximity of the Mansion itself._

Murmurs started – anything which could evade the Mansion's comprehensive security was indeed trouble. Cannons, lasers and a lot of weaponry whatnot was constantly aimed at the sky, deterring would-be intruders or invaders. In this case, all attacks had connected, but had simply failed to deal any damage whatsoever.

The murmurs turned into shocked silence as a single holographic image was displayed of the object. It was a large violet sphere, unmistakably a Subspace portal – but Subspace portals were thought to be immobile... Until they discovered craggy rock protruding from the bottom hemisphere of the Subspace portal, disturbingly familiar yet so strange...

_Battlefield approaches._

---

Rain fell in a drizzle on the Mansion. The sky was an ashen gray, in contrast to its usual bright blue or rich navy hue. The Garden grounds of the Mansion saw the Smashers gathered in a tight circle.

Lucario bowed his head solemnly, his chin nearly touching his yellow torso-fur, now matted and slicked down with rain, the tip of his blue tail brushing the wet grass. Opposite from him, on the other side of the circle, even Princess Peach had traded her usual pink outfit for a sombre gray one.

Fox McCloud broke the circle, his arm bound in a sling, his shoulders heavily bandaged, and his usually neat ginger and white fur soaked and dripping. Limping slowly forward to the center of the circle. Wolf O'Donnel stood directly behind him, his usual eyepiece removed, his fur too matted with rain.

The Star Fox pilot suddenly staggered forward, falling to his knees before the freshly turned earth.

No one moved from their circle around the grave as a long howl broke the constant rhythm of the rain.


	4. Arrival

**Hello all.**

**First off, sincere thanks to lupyne and Shadow Blues. Thanks also goes to those who have read the fic, as well as all past reviewers, your support, too, is appreciated.**

**Apologies for not being able to update yesterday – this chapter did not turn out as planned, and had to be rewritten. Hopefully future chapters will not be delayed.**

**Without any further ado, please enjoy. Reviews are definitely welcomed.**

**hawk**

---

Remembrance – Chapter Four

Rain continued to fall across the Mansion, each raindrop a miniature bombshell bursting open on skin, clothes, fur and ground. The Smashers remained gathered around Falco's grave in the Smash Mansion's Garden, watching silently as Fox fell to his knees and gripped the nearby grass so tightly until his knuckles paled.

Lucario bowed his head in their direction, but averted his eyes. Looking up, he took in a deep breath of air, taking in the fresh scent of mud, grass and rain, remembering life. He closed his eyes with a slight shudder, remembering what it was like to die painfully – and hoped that Falco did not suffer too much in his final moments.

After a short period of time, the Smashers started to disperse and made their way back to the Mansion. Lucario glanced a last time in the direction of the grave, and turned to go. Suddenly, he felt a paw on his shoulder, and turned to meet Fox's green eyes. "Ru... Rukario?" The Aura Pokémon paused. Fox removed his paw, and looked down at the muddy ground, studying Lucario's black-furred hindpaws, his ginger tail lightly sweeping the muddy ground. "Thanks... for what you did."

Lucario hesitated, lost for words for once. _I – I am sorry – about –_ Fox laughed mirthlessly, clapping his hand once again on Lucario's shoulder. "He'd have thanked you," Fox smiled sadly at Lucario, his ginger fur streaked with rain. Lucario didn't say anything, but the edges of his eyes appeared to catch a bit of the falling rain.

Without even using his sensitivity to Aura, Lucario knew how much Falco had meant to Fox. Meeting up to fight together against a common foe and never looking back – just like Sir Aaron Lucario whom had met, and served under. The difference was that Lucario had always viewed Sir Aaron has his master, although they were each others' closest – in Lucario's case, only – friends. Great friendship only multiplies sorrow through death, Lucario though bitterly, and Fox and Falco – as well as Sir Aaron and himself –

Lucario shook his head, Aura Filters swinging and colliding with each other, then bowed his head once again, resting his head on his yellow torso fur. More raindrops fell noisily to the ground, as the clouds seemed to notice their sorrow and poured rain upon the Smash Mansion with increasing intensity. Silently, they turned made their way slowly back into the Mansion together, leaving the Gardens alone behind them.

Above them, a black star twinkled, as though it was laughing, and grew imperceptibly bigger as Battlefield soared in a tighter arc about Smash Mansion.

---

Master Hand had instructed – or rather, commanded – each Smasher to prepare for the imminent arrival of the Subspace army, and to gather back in the Hall by dawn. When an unfortunate Smasher tried to question the glove's instructions, Master Hand lost his temper and slammed down hard on the Hall floor, the resounding echo reverberating loudly, and the impact enough to leave a crack in the ground.

There were no more questions.

Some Smashers, remembering how easily Master Hand was defeated by Tabuu in their previous encounter, started to murmur, and the whispering grew to a loud buzzing amongst the Smashers. Many Smashers questioned if they would be able to withstand the attacks, while a few simply gave up hope and milled about looking despondent. This was quelled by another single-handed clap by Master Hand, who promptly floated out off the Hall, exuding a general aura of general irritation.

Lucario stood quietly in the corner of the hall, blue tail swishing slowly from side to side. Without even considering his options, he knew that he'd be one of those who would stay his ground and fight – even to the death – he knew that part to be true by his past experience. Still, Lucario did feel a rare sense of nervousness, and not for the first time he wished to be by Sir Aaron's side once more, and to take his orders and execute them without fear.

---

Lucario stood in the middle of his small room. For the first time he noticed that he had no possessions whatsoever – the small mattress in his room was loaned from the Smash Mansion, after several Smashers had forcibly pushed it into his room, insisting that he sleep of it instead of the room floor.

He had previously slept on the hard floors, and although he had had experience sleeping on a proper mattress in Queen Rin's castle, this mattress seemed to him softer and sunk whenever he pressed his weight on it. He had struggled to get up after lying down on it for the first time, but had gradually gotten used to it. Lucario allowed himself a small smile – that was the first thing anyone in the Mansion had done for him.

---

"_You. Sleep. On the floor?" King Dedede reacted as if he had never heard that sentence before, repeating it over and over again. Lucario nodded slowly, slightly afraid that he may have said something wrong. Remembering that the Smashers came from exceedingly diverse backgrounds, perhaps where the penguin monarch came from sleeping on the floor was a federal offence, he reasoned, but that particular line of logic somehow didn't comfort him much. Or perhaps that penguin was insane._

_After repeated nodding at many similar gawking Smashers, most of whom were vaguely humanoid in shape, they eventually left Lucario alone, finally allowing him some shut-eye in the small room. Lucario curled up on the floor, mentally fatigued from the day's events, and mentally mumbled something about Aaron-sama._

_There was a sudden slamming on his door, at which Lucario jumped bolt upright, paws awash with blue Aura. Seeing no one, he hesitantly opened his door a fraction of a crack, only to see many pairs of eyes staring back in his surprised red ones. The door was then pushed open, Lucario taking a step back as the Smashers pushed something relatively large, rectangular and squishy into Lucario's small room, effectively taking up half of its floor area._

"_Master Hand was always stingy about rooming," muttered a Smasher. There were mumbles of assent amongst the crowd, who then turned their collective attention to the blue-furred Pokémon. Lucario uneasily averted their gaze, then looked inquisitively at the mattress. Having not seen – or slept on one – for at least a millennium, and even the one he had seen was of the different, ancient variety, he was not exactly well acquainted with the modern world. _What is it?

"_A mattress," came the response, after a rather awkward pause. "You, uh, sleep on it. It's more comfortable that way..."_

_Needless to say, that meeting ended awkwardly. But the very next day, after trying out – and getting used to – the apparently magical properties of the mattress, the usually silent Lucario went around and personally thanked each of those Smashers in his low telepathic voice._

---

The Aura Filters on the back of Lucario's head jumped, as a long, glowing, blue staff suddenly materialised in Lucario's paw. Consolidated out of Aura, he had expanded a negligible amount of his Aura to create that staff. Experientially striking with the staff, the swift actions resulting in audible swishing noises, as Lucario completed a series of swipes. Satisfied, he allowed the staff to dissipate and dissolve into nothing, blue motes of light falling around his paws.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside his door. Before his paw grasped the handle, his sight was involuntarily layered over with his Aura vision, and he immediately detected a malevolent – no, a positively hostile – Aura signature above the grounds of the Mansion, emanating waves of desire for destruction and revenge. Tearing out of his room, he rushed ahead of the other Smashers into the Hall, his paws tilted backwards as he sprinted down the long hallway.

Exiting the Hall, Lucario burst out onto the Mansion's Garden grounds. Even in the night sky, the nightmarish Battlefield stood out starkly, the large glimmering and unnatural purple sphere against the black sky, suspended over the Garden grounds. Even more unnatural, and significantly more threatening, was the large mechanical Gunship halfway protruding from the sphere, which was now pointed directly at Lucario.

The Gunship – Tabuu's original masterpiece, designed to generate Subspace portals via destruction. Coming equipped with its own formidable defences, it was responsible for the destruction of the Halberd, and almost the entire Smasher population's ships. It had definitely suffered from when Kirby's Dragoon ship had pierced straight through it – but all of them had committed the grave mistake of mistakenly assuming it was permanently destroyed. Doubtless Tabuu had his Subspace minions repair it, and now there it was, ready to haunt the Smashers in its new lease of life.

Lucario barked in alarm, mentally slapping himself for committing such a grave technical error – like that time he had casually strolled straight into an ambush by Registeel. The turrets along the length of the Gunship exploded in rapid bullet rain, forcing Lucario to roll, skilfully evading the barrage of energy projectiles. Many shots got close, however, and Lucario felt them barely surge past his fur as he leaped back into the safety of the Mansion, slamming the great double doors shut.

The other Smashers, and indeed the entire population of the Smash Mansion, including Assist Trophies, other Pokémon and the like, were standing uneasily in the far end of the Hall, having just reached but yet witnessed the attack of the Gunship. Lucario turned towards them, noticing them, but immediately sensed something –

_Move! Don't stand there! _He yelled telepathically, rushing forward towards them. Some Smashers took a hesitant step forward, while others didn't seem to want to move any closer to where the Gunship waited behind the doors. Lucario continued running, his Aura Filters suspended behind him in his run. _Get away from the wall –_

The wall started to collapse, exploding from the top where it was joined to the roof of the Mansion. The corner of the ceiling of the great Hall fell apart, and was immediately sucked into a whirling purple vortex which was now forming there. The Gunship struck again, producing a second expanding sphere of violet and destruction next to the first, effectively persuading the Smashers to break into a run and meet Lucario in the centre of the Hall.

There was a resounding crash and the unbearable grinding of rock against rock as Battlefield finally grounded itself on the Mansion's ground, and an instant later the double doors connecting the Hall to the Gardens – indeed, the entire wall separating the Hall from the Gardens – ceased to exist as the Gunship fired a single shot.

The Smashers were now effectively trapped in the Great Hall, with the crashed and captured Battlefield as well as the fearsome Gunship on one side, and the entire force of the Subspace Army pouring out from the two newly formed Subspace portals on the other, cutting off their escape route.

Holding up his paws, burning with blue Aura – his Aura – Lucario bared his fangs and snarled at the oncoming Army, while the other Smashers and assorted Assist Trophies took up similar defensive stances. As half of the Mansion's fighters faced the Gunship, the other turned to stare down the Army – and neither looked to be very appealing options.

Mario, true to his form, assumed command of the fighters. As he was about to give the command to attack, he sighed, closed his eyes for a second, and opened them again. Around him, the Smashers glanced at him through the corner of their eyes, only awaiting his signal to attack.

Lucario crouched slightly, his paws flaring with blue fire, his red eyes set and determined. Beside him was Snake, holding a grenade in each hand. "Rukario." He glanced at the Aura Pokémon, who returned his gaze, and nodded his head once quickly.

"It's showtime."

Lucario smiled a small, sad smile, then returned to his defensive position and closed his eyes. _I know._

---

The Subspace Army suddenly moved forward as one, their speed increasing as they charged towards the fighters. The Gunship's various turrets began to charge up their fire, ready to release them upon the first Smasher of Assist Trophy who got even close, the guns responding with a drawn-out whine.

Behind Lucario, Mario raised his arm and gave a cry. The Smashers echoed it, and then charged forward to meet their opponents.

They were still some distance apart when there was a sudden low rumble, and a hollow laugh echoed softly but clearly throughout the hall, even in the chaos already unfolding. This was immediately followed by a sharp, high-pitched cackle which chilled the fighters to the bone.

The doors behind the Subspace Army were burst open, their fragments sent spinning dangerously, felling quite a few Army units in the process. Twin streaks of white hissed past the Army, not caring much for how much Primids were knocked over in their progress. In this manner the streaks travelled half the length of the Hall, and bursting from the boundary of the Subspace Army nearest to the fighters, lifted into the air, continuing their reckless flight.

Lucario felt the strong blast of wind blow past his body as Master Hand and Crazy Hand swept past the fighters, spiralling higher and higher, above the battlefield, even as the entire power of the Subspace Army bore down upon the fighters.


	5. Undeterred

**Hello all.**

**Many thanks goes to NinjaSheik, Shadow Blues, Xaniagal as well as lupyne, as well as all those who have read the fic. All your kind support is greatly appreciated.**

**I have wondered if the chapters contain too much action, or are too draggy and wordy – I would appreciate your input on this, and indeed any other means of improving. Thank you all for reading once again.**

**hawk**

---

Remembrance – Chapter Five

Disregarding common tactical sense in battle, Lucario twisted his head, following the Hands' flight. Many Smashers did the same, and with a jolt Lucario realised so were many of the Subspace Army minions. The Hands soared, giant disembodied fists, heading straight over the heads of everyone present... Lucario's sight followed their trajectory and suddenly discovered the intent of the Hands.

Tabuu half-knelt, half-stood in midair, suspended majestically over the ruined exit to the Gardens. The blue entity was no different from when they last encountered him, his figure still thrice as large as the biggest Smasher, and yet exuded far more intimidation than possible.

The Hands careened towards Tabuu at high speeds, and Lucario's stomach twisted as he read a smirk in Tabuu's Aura. No doubt he was confident that once again, the Hands would crash into Tabuu, who would overpower them, and the fight would be over before it had even begun. _Aaron-sama_, Lucario stared up at the Hands' suicidal plan,_ what is happening?_

Yet, Tabuu's reaction was even more drastic. He simply ignored the Hands' advance, merely spreading out a set of large, multicoloured wings which faded into existence behind his back. Lucario snapped out of his reverie, as did the entire population of Smashers.

The Off Waves. Tabuu's most devastating attack, with the wings releasing giant bands of energy which instantly brought any Smasher in contact with it to their knees in total defeat. Sonic had supposedly weakened its effect, but that was a long time ago... and now the technique appeared to be back in full force. Lucario glanced over at Sonic nearby, who was staring at the reformed wings with a mixture of horror and surprise. The power required for the attack was so great, Tabuu would not be able to use it again for a while, but of what importance was that if he could defeat all in one fell swoop?

The giant wings flexed, and Tabuu was ready to unleash its devastating power against the Smashers once again. Lucario tensed, ready to dodge, and doubt in his ability to survive momentarily flashed across his mind. _Too late for that now,_ he thought, surveying the other fighters who assumed similar defensive positions and horror-stricken expressions.

The smirk in Tabuu's Aura signature widened.

The wings beat once, strongly, that with pure physical force it generated forceful winds, blowing debris throughout the Hall and into the Smashers' faces. But the shockwave of the beat travelled on, visible and shimmering in the air, ready to swallow all the fighters in its wake.

Suddenly, there was a resounding _crsssh_ as the shockwave abruptly ground to a halt, screeched, and dissipated. A golden barrier suddenly shimmered into view, and contained the blast as Tabuu floated upwards, visibly surprised, the wings curling back into nothingness. Lucario immediately realised what was happening, and looked skyward for their saviours.

Master Hand and Crazy Hand floated opposite Tabuu, each glove lifting its index finger up. A small golden circle had appeared at the tip of each finger, and was rapidly rotating. Around them the golden barrier shimmered slightly, and Lucario saw the boundary of the barrier, stretching from the one end of the Hall to the next. This effectively divided the battlefield into two, separating the Hands and Tabuu from the rest of the combatants.

Crazy Hand laughed again, a shrill, piercing wail. Master Hand flew across the Hall to meet him, the two hands slamming into each other in a resounding clap which echoed throughout the hall.

The Subspace Army suddenly started their charging once more, as if they had just been released from a dream by the clap. The Smashers suddenly tore their eyes away from the aerial battle and focused once more on the battle close at hand. The two contingents rapidly closed the gap between them, and there was the sound of screaming and yelling and metal on metal.

Lucario bent low, gripping the first Primid foolish enough to charge at him, whirling it around and sending it careening into three of its peers. Jumping into the midst of a mass of Primids, he gathered a few small, yet powerful, Aura Spheres. The resulting explosions effectively dealt with the Primids, blasting the Primids five feet back and two feet up. In a couple of seconds, he had a dead circle of enemies about him, while he himself was virtually untouched.

Yet clearly Tabuu did not orchestrate this full-scale invasion with only mere small fry, which he knew the Smashers were well able to take care of... Lucario glanced around, seeing how the other Smashers managed to dispatch the remnants of the first wave with ease. Again, something was not quite right...

A loud _crash_ resounded through the battlefield, and in spite of himself, Lucario looked up. What he saw amazed him.

---

Master Hand – and occasionally, if the Smasher was deemed strong enough, Crazy Hand – would face Smashers in a challenge. Although they did not lose, but simply forfeited after a set amount of hits, the Hands were always difficult to beat, pummelling the Smashers with a series of quick slaps, jabs, and claps.

But for the first time, the Smashers saw the Hands at their true highest in combat.

Crazy Hand executed moves that no one had ever seen, twisting, writhing, and launching fist and palm full force into Tabuu. Although Tabuu did not visibly flinch, shockwaves emanated across the data pools on his surface, and each impact let out a deep and sonorous ring. Master Hand let loose a barrage of spells, each one causing a violent explosion in Tabuu's immediate vicinity. Occasionally both hands would fire a rapid stream of powerful bombs from the tips of their fingers, forcing Tabuu to teleport, leaving the bombs to explode harmlessly but violently against the golden barrier.

Together, the Hands were indeed a formidable team, especially when they combined their collective power. Their claps formed visible shockwaves emanating from their center, and a few times they caught Tabuu in their clap, blue electricity fizzling from their palms.

But Tabuu was no easy pushover either – with a simple movement he could paralyse or fling back a Hand, or occasionally utilise his Off Waves to throw a Hand, or both, to the far end of the Hall. The three entities locked each other in combat, and neither side appeared to have an immediate advantage.

---

Lucario was suddenly brought back to reality with a jolt, realising that a new wave of Subspace Army members approached. He turned to face not small fry, but bigger, tougher enemies of varying types. Unflinching, he leapt once again into the fray, but quickly found that these enemy commanders were made of a much tougher mould than their inferior counterparts.

A well-placed hit connected with Lucario's snout, sending him stumbling backwards into the vice-like grip of a large Primid. His paws flared with Aura and he spun, allowing his paw-spikes, propelled by Aura, to slice the Primid clean into two. But for every foe he defeated, two took its place – and never-ending swarms of smaller Primids kept surging forward. In their great numbers, they could very well overwhelm the Smashers entirely.

Lucario barked, baring his fangs, as the blue staff once again materialised in his paw. He brought it heavily down upon the nearest advancing foe, then twirled it around before slamming its tip into the ground, daring any other opponent to meet him in battle.

Immediately, ten Primids of varying shapes and types charged at him.

_Intimidation tactics are useless here,_ Lucario noted wryly, a little too late. He jumped aside, his staff knocking away a Primid which was about to drive its weapon into Meta Knight's back. Meta Knight returned the favour by felling the Primid about to drive his axe into Lucario's tail. Lucario quickly readied a strike, and propelled a Primid backwards into another as Meta Knight slashed repeatedly at a towering Primid with his sword.

However, their successes were not total – scores of Primids had breached their defences, scoring multiple hits on the Smashers. Lucario did not have the luxury of time to look around at the other Smashers, but he himself suffered several deep cuts and minor wounds along his forepaws and torso, and while Meta Knight showed no visible wounds, his cape was tattered and torn, and his breath came ragged through his scratched silver mask.

They continued in this manner for an undeterminable amount of time. Even Lucario's well-disciplined body began to feel the pressure, fatigue starting to claim his limbs. No doubt the other Smashers and Assist Trophies felt it too, the battle having stretched on for an interminable time.

Just as Lucario delivered a finishing blow to yet another Primid, suddenly there was a blood-chilling scream, cutting through all the noise and rabble of the fight. Instinctively, the battle momentarily paused as one, hastily searching for the origin. There was a sudden loud crack, then a noise like the shattering of a thousand glass bottles at once, and jagged golden plates of translucent rained down among the combatants. A large white-and-black thing thundered downwards, falling heavily and was smashed across the floor of the Great Hall, finally stopping in the far corner of the Hall. The floor marked its descent – a long winding gash where it had first hit, and finally a small crater in which it now rested. It twitched violently, and then its fingers fell back limply onto the ground.

Tabuu struck Master Hand with the full length of his multicoloured whip, the whip cracking loudly with a resounding snap. Master Hand, nearing the end of his stamina, attempted a comeback, but was easily dodged; the whip cracked once again and the Hand was thrown across the length of the Hall, hit the remaining standing wall, and disappeared from view in a cloud of dust.

The blue figure stretched itself, then reverted to its normal half-kneeling, half-standing posture, and surveyed the decimated terrain and the exhausted, fatigued Smashers struggling to finish off the remnants of his Army.

The Hands had fallen.


	6. Roar

**Hello all. **

**Many thanks to lupyne, Xaniagal, Shadow Blues and NinjaSheik for their kind reviews, as well as all readers for their support.**

**Also, lupyne is correct.**

**Cryptic remarks aside, I hope you will continue to enjoy this fic. It draws to a close, with the final chapter set to be published mid-week. Thank you once again for your support. **

**hawk**

---

Remembrance – Chapter Six

A large Primid struck Lucario on his back, dropping the Aura Pokémon to all fours. Lucario kicked out with his hindpaw, connecting squarely with the Primid's torso, sending it staggering backwards, burning with blue fire. Lucario remained on all fours, looking up at the victorious Tabuu, who was once again slowly spreading out his multicoloured wings... _What?_

Looking wildly around, Lucario saw that much of his Army was decimated. The stronger commanders of his Army, though they had put up a mighty struggle and had severly injured several Smashers, were scattered and few. The large Primid Lucario had just kicked attempted to punch him again, but suddenly found itself staring at the barrel of Snake's rocket launcher.

Lucario leapt up, and twirled around wildly to see Snake dusting his hands, his rocket launcher by his side. _Take cover!_ Lucario barked at him, then spun around to face the rest of the battlefield, where Smashers and Assist Trophies were either trying to recover from their injuries or were engaged in skirmishes with the remaining Primids. _Take cover! Tab –_

It was that exact moment which Tabuu chose to release his newly revived Off Waves, this time directed at the exhausted group of Smashers. His wings beat once, and a strong blast of air once again beat down upon them, before Lucario could open his eyes a crack to see the advancing deadly energy surges. It took all of his previous combat experience and agility to be able to even dodge one, but Lucario somehow managed to evade two of the blasts by expertly twisting uncomfortably in the air and simultaneously using an intact Primid body to shield off the blasts' effects.

Unfortunately the Primid body was no more than the inferior impromptu shield it was, and Lucario's red eyes widened as he saw – and more so, felt – the third and final energy wave surge into his limbs. Numbness shot through his entire body from his torso, followed an instant later by excruciating pain, forcing him to involuntarily drop the Primid. _Augh!_ Lucario bit his lower jaw, biting back an urge to yelp, even as the shockwave dragged him backwards, his hindpaws scoring grooves in the Hall flooring. He was blown back for a distance before eventually being knocked off his hindpaws, toppling over backwards.

After a few seconds, Lucario groaned softly, then flitted his eyes open. Groggily, he sat up, surveying his surroundings. Suddenly he jumped up, fully alert, although the action caused fresh pain to course through his limbs and tail. The Hall – if it was not sufficiently thrashed before – was now utterly devastated, deep gashes marking the once-proud flooring, debris scattered everywhere. But even more disturbing were the limp bodies of fighters scattered across the Hall – Smashers, Assist Trophies, and Primids alike. The unsettling figure of Crazy Hand rested in the far corner, unmoving. The Primids were already dissolving into Shadow Bugs, little pools of bubbling purple. Tabuu had ignored his Army, and had caught the entire population of Smashers in one deadly stroke.

Lucario staggered, partially due to pain and shock. He closed his eyes, willing his Aura vision to take over, hoping to see at least some who had held on to their Aura – who had survived. The Hall was a picture of desolation and destruction, but even through that Lucario noted that almost all – no, all – Smashers and Assist Trophies were alive.

Lucario blinked. They were alive, but were indeed not well. Many Smashers were clinging on to only a shred of their original Aura. The Ice Climbers had clung to each other, now lying unconscious on the floor, and Peach's destroyed umbrella was open some distance away from her unmoving body, both of them breathing shallowly. Lucario realised that if left alone, the little Aura they had would simply dissipate, leaving them lifeless.

_And even before that, Tabuu would probably kill them off – now._ Lucario noted grimly.

Suddenly, Lucario was broken out of his contemplation by an odd high-pitched whine. Startled, he reverted to his normal vision. Upon looking up, Lucario saw Tabuu and a dragon-shaped cannon suspended next to him, pointing directly at the blue-furred Smasher. Looking wildly around, he realised he was the only one standing up – which translated to being the only target.

_Is this not overkill?_ yelped Lucario. Tabuu did not respond, but the cannon began to glow an uncomfortable whitish-blue, a whitish ball of flame growing in its mouth. With his previous experience, Lucario knew that running would never do – Tabuu's cannon was more than able to move if needed, and his evasive tactics could at best buy him a bit of time. Furthermore, there was the question of the rest of the fighters...

In a second, Lucario had made his decision. It pained him somewhat, but he could not think of a better tactical situation – and he knew he would want to do what had to be done. _Hm. _Lucario quietly thought to himself. _Aaron-sama, please help me._

Aura Storm. Lucario's most powerful attack in Brawl, according to its physics. Lucario found it easy to conjure – he would initially prepare an Aura Sphere, and then continually fire a large burst of Aura through it. Drawing from his own Aura, Lucario could sustain multiple Aura-based attacks, and many years of discipline and training would well able him to channel such a powerful attack as Aura Storm.

Brawl only allowed him to sustain the attack for a little less than ten seconds, but Lucario knew he could hold out for much more. The question was therefore, how much longer?

Lucario stepped backwards, one hindpaw behind the other. Pulling his forepaws back, he opened his eyes to glance once more around at the Hall. All around him the scene reeked of carnage and destruction, and above him Tabuu's cannon glowered menacingly, and small pieces of debris floated in the air. He closed his eyes, reminded himself of his duty, a small smile playing on his lips.

A small Aura Sphere flickered into existence between his paws, steadily growing greater. Lucario's eyes sprung open, scarlet fire burning in his eyes, as he brought his paws forward, the Aura Sphere glowing with a different hue. As Tabuu's cannon fired with a deep roar, Lucario yelled, the pillar of Aura pouring forth; twin beams of light meeting each other squarely in the middle of the hall, exploding in a globe of smoke and fire.

Lucario closed his eyes once again, his Aura vision taking over and bathing his vision in a blue mist. He saw the strident blast of Aura from Aura Storm, and also flickering Auras of the fighters about him. Around his entire body, a large sphere slowly enveloped him, shimmering a blue tint, and gradually expanded outwards.

The sphere expanded outwards, sinking into the ground. It grew faster, spreading from its centre at Lucario, and was big enough to just touch the leg of Meta Knight, whose limp body was sprawled nearby.

_Aagh!_ Lucario did not hold back a telepathic yell, screwing his eyes shut as his head jerked forward, the Aura Filters at the back trembling slightly in their suspended position. He felt his Aura exploding through every part of his fur, expanding and ebbing as it flowed towards Meta Knight. The little Star Warrior's Aura flickered for a second, then suddenly ignited in a burst of blue flame, growing steadily stronger as Lucario continued to feed his Aura to him.

_One down, many more to go,_ Lucario gritted his fangs, his eyes screwed shut in determination.

The sphere expanded even bigger, swallowing up Meta Knight, then hungrily reaching for the next Smasher. And the next. And the next. Lucario growled and winced with each one, his Aura swirling about him in a large whirpool before parts of it broke off and was directed to the unconscious Smashers. From Lucario's Aura vision, the saw it as a whirling band of pale white right in front of his eyes, and in the background Smashers' and Assist Trophies' Aura flickered and burst into view like geysers.

Not only did he have to contend with massive amounts of Aura leaving him like that, Tabuu's cannon was still firing directly at Lucario. His Aura Storm currently held that at bay, but with each passing second, Lucario's reserves of Aura were being eaten into. Seemingly sensing this, Tabuu increased the intensity of his cannon blast, pushing Lucario's Aura Storm further back, Lucario himself digging in his hindpaws to prevent getting knocked backwards.

_Lucario poked his head, then his forepaws, allowing them to dangle before quickly gripping Kirby's pudgy face and pushing his entire body out of Kirby's mouth. Holding Kirby – who was still happily waving to Lucario – between his paws, he questioned King Dedede. _How do you stop him from doing that?_ "Don't feed him." From then on, Lucario tossed his Oran berries at Kirby instead, but Kirby didn't seem to mind._

Lucario winced, biting his lower jaw harder. The salty taste of blood lingered a little, a small rivulet of the liquid slowly making its way down Lucario's chin. Although most fighters only required a small amount of Aura, some had suffered the full blast of Tabuu's Off Waves, and in any case imparting Aura to so many would take its toll on even the most experienced Aura manipulators. The sphere shimmered a little, nearly winking out of existence, but continued its slow expansion outward.

_Snake and Lucario had first met each other opposite their rooms. Lucario struck Snake as being rather a lone wolf, and Lucario discerned that Snake was primarily concerned about his privacy. Nevertheless, the two struck up a silent but strong friendship, if only if was due to Snake's Cypher malfunctioning mid-brawl, forcing Lucario to catch him in his forepaws. _

Tabuu's Aura darkened, annoyance evident. The intensity of the blast increased further, and Lucario's forepaws trembled at its extra power, Aura Storm slowly being pushed back, meeting the cannon-blast in a shower of sparks. Lucario felt sharp stabs of pain in his paws and torso, the throbbing sting spreading up his body from his forepaws to the tip of his ears.

Lucario had almost completed his mission, but his failing Aura vision picked out one stray individual at the edge of the Hall. His Blaster had fallen away from him as he had crumpled onto the floor, his green eyepiece crushed and broken by his head.

_Just a week back, Lucario was challenged to a friendly brawl by Fox. The two combatants were rather equally matched, Fox matching Lucario's every kick and pummel, and Lucario countering each shot of Fox's Blaster. The climax of the brawl was the appearance of the Smash Ball in the dying seconds of the Brawl – Lucario had obtained it and proceeded to use it to utterly defeat Fox by blasting the pilot off the stage in a magnificent pillar of Aura, just before Master Hand announced _Game!

Pushing himself to his limit, Lucario willed his Aura to flow towards the Start Fox pilot, his sphere expanding obediently as the Aura started to ebb towards Fox. At the same time, spasms of pain wracked his body, his fur felt as if it was set on fire, jolting his red eyes open.

His mouth opened to yelp, but no sound came out as Tabuu's cannon finally pushed back Aura Storm, connecting with Lucario, consuming him in its wake.


	7. Aura

**Hello all.**

**Finally.**

**This chapter marks the end of **_**Remembrance**_**. I thank all readers, as well as Diabowserker, Xaniagal, Espolchu, Froggiecool, Kyu333 and Double Dee Edd Boy, and all those that I may have forgotten to mention, for their kindness. Special thanks go out to lupyne, Shadow Blues and NinjaSheik for their continuous support.**

**When I first started out fanfiction-writing, I never thought I would be able to get so many hits or kind reviewers. You people have truly helped me, and for that I thank you once again.**

**I apologise for the delay, the real world has been catching up recently, and I may need to take a short break before continuing writing. But put that aside, and let us see how things go.**

**[Edit: Thanks to Souldin and lupyne's feedback, I have republished this chapter, with a tad more details. Any feedback on any part of the story is of course more than welcome.**

**Additionally, a list of other fics in the series can now be found at the end of the chapter, mainly because to help minimise confusion about the timeline. If you liked this fic, please feel free to view my other fics in the series if you wish. The links to the fics can be found on my profile. Thanks once again!] **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing. And, without further ado, please enjoy.**

**hawk**

**---**

Remembrance – Chapter Seven

Lucario stared with odd calmness as the white beam of light bore down upon him. He had definitely been hit, and was launched through the air, blue fire trailing from his paws... but he felt nothing. _Am I dead already? _Lucario wondered to himself, idly watching the world move past in a slow-motion blur of colour.

Suddenly the numbness came, followed by the searing blast of pain which started from the torso and spread quickly to the tip of his ears, tail and paws like wildfire. Slow pulsating pain started ebbing in his body, firing occasional electric shocks across his entire body. Lucario snapped his eyes shut, involuntarily convulsing violently in mid-air as Lucario's body finally registered Tabuu's cannon-blast.

Lucario howled in pain._ Evidently not!_

And to compound his worries, he realised that the blast had not only lifted him clean off his feet, but a few meters into the air – and gravity now took its effect, and threatened to slam him heavily into the ground. _A broken spine_, Lucario thought distractedly, forcing an eye open, staring at the ground rushing up towards him.

He braced himself for the inevitable hard impact and the shattering sounds of all the bones upwards of his tail, but instead he heard a soft _whumpf_, felt the rough texture of cloth and his descent was abruptly cut short. Lucario looked about, slightly dazed, until he noticed hands holding him by his back and hindpaws, and tilted his head to meet the face of Solid Snake.

Snake, however, was somehow fascinated by Lucario, as if he was seeing the blue-furred jackal-shaped Pokémon for the first time. "I didn't know Tabuu could do that..." _What – Aah! _Lucario started, but was cut short by another wave of pain, his head shuddering involuntarily. Snake didn't say anymore. The mercenary knew Lucario's warrior-like discipline and high threshold for pain – anything to send him into this state had to be devastating. Instead, he quickly lowered Lucario slowly to the ground, setting him in a small clearing besides rubble which was once part of the Hall ceiling.

Gripping Snake's shoulder to steady himself, Lucario glanced around the Hall. Other fighters were slowly getting to their feet, some shaking their heads or clutching their temples. Hurriedly doing a visual sweep of the area, he tried to see if there was anyone he had missed out – but another pusle of pain forced him to painfully slam both forepaws onto the ground behind him, contorting him into a slightly more comfortable sitting position.

---

The monochrome character saw the giant pillar of light tear through Lucario, sending him flying backwards until he fell, disappearing behind a large pile of rubble. Mr Game and Watch silently turned to face Tabuu, who appeared unaware of his presence as he watched Lucario's descent. Turning, and pressing himself to the wall – or what remained of it – Mr Game and Watch ran.

---

Snake looked around nervously, ensuring that both of them were hidden from Tabuu's view before kneeling by Lucario. "Rukario, I –" _I am fine,_ breathed Lucario, closing his eyes slowly and inhaling a deep breath. _Run. Tab –_

Suddenly there was a piercing ringing wail, strangely like and unlike a familiar sound. Lucario and Snake turned, and saw how Mr Game and Watch suddenly appeared out of the shadows, launching himself towards Tabuu. It happened so quickly that the little two-dimensional man was practically touching the top of Tabuu's domed head before anyone else could react. The screech he made was of a deeper tone than he normally employed, layered over with the nameless voice of authority.

_Judge._

Mr Game and Watch raised a hammer which appeared out of nowhere, striking Tabuu squarely in the middle of the head. Both strange beings were suddenly covered with little sparks of blue electricity, it having no effect on Mr Game and Watch while Tabuu's face contorted under its sting. In fact, the entire attack was so swift, sudden, and powerful that it actually caused Tabuu to lose balance, breaking out of his half-kneeling, half-standing position, throwing his arms back to balance himself.

Suddenly spurred on, the rest of the Smashers joined in the fray, seemingly newly revitalised. Strange music and an unearthly aura drifted to Lucario's painfully twitching ears as the Negative Zone ballooned and held Tabuu in place, the piercing sounds of baseball bats and Light Arrows as various characters attacked. Lucario heard the familiar yells of Pokémon Trainer, and even Snake set his Missile Launcher's targets squarely on Tabuu's chest.

However, Tabuu obviously would not be beaten so easily – two Hands were not enough to defeat him, and he was not intending a ragtag team of fighters to win. A massive swipe with his hand sent Luigi flying out of the Negative Zone, and Lucario saw several large explosions which scattered fighters left and right. He made to get up, but Snake hesitantly put his hand on his shoulder, and forced the Aura Pokémon down again.

_Don't stop me, I – _Lucario winced as he felt another surge of pain, forcing him to grit his fangs. Fortunately now he had regained some sort of control, it still felt as if the pain was increasing. He tried getting up again, only to find his hindpaws buckling underneath him, and Snake grabbing him by the shoulders to steady him.

---

The Smashers rallied together, firing, striking, and smashing Tabuu with whatever skills they had. Although Tabuu had managed to defeat both Hands, over twenty Smashers attacking him from different angles at the same instant was starting to be overwhelm him.

A barrage of attacks like never before seen exploded into existence, fuelled by Luigi's defeat and Tabuu's own strength. Between then the Smashers probably had equal power as the Hands, but unnamed unity multiplied their efforts a hundredfold. It also didn't help Tabuu that his stamina started to drain away after his Off Waves, or that for every Smasher he felled, more took their place.

Tabuu collapsed onto the ground, composure gone. Crackling from blue electricity, he hovered slightly beside the remaining Subspace portal, beside the battered remains of the Gunship. In a sudden silence, no more attacks came, a lone howling battle cry echoed across the destroyed Hall. All eyes, including Tabuu's were slowly drawn to an approaching figure in the shadows.

The shadow stepped, limping, into visibility. Fox McCloud was bleeding from his ginger fur, his tail mangled and vest torn. In his slightly-trembling paw he up held Falco's Blaster, and aimed it squarely at Tabuu.

---

Lucario suddenly collapsed to the floor, wincing as pain once again shot through his body. This time, he caught sight of his torso – and discovered it pulsing a faint blue. In fact, it looked translucent. Lucario hurriedly raised his forepaw to his eye, but another jolt of pain shot through his body – through half-closed eyes, he saw a shimmer, like a electric ripple in a puddle, make its way through his body and up his paw.

"That was what I've been trying to tell you..." Snake muttered. "Tabuu must have upgraded his cannon blast, and I'm sure Master Hand will figure out something –" _No._ The calm telepathic voice cut the mercenary short, and Snake turned to glance sideways at Lucario.

"No?" _Not the cannon blast. Me._ Lucario shuddered involuntarily as another ripple spread through his body. _Death by Aura loss. Another minute or so._ Snake didn't move. Lucario smiled, then closed his eyes.

Smashers started to mill about Lucario, more and more faces pressing in. As soon as they learnt his predicament, many started yelling, pushing forward, their quiet whispers become loud agitated shouts. Lucario kneaded his forehead with a paw, then temporarily blacked out as another wave of pain shot through him. He fought against the encroaching faintness, and opened his eyes a crack.

Suddenly the pain disappeared, as quickly as it came. Lucario felt a refreshing sense of calm pass through him, like a gentle breeze – but the image was shattered with many of the Smashers' teary faces pressed toward him. Meta Knight sheathed his golden sword, and looked anxiously on.

Through the rabble, Lucario suddenly caught sight of someone else, making his way slowly through the rabble. Lucario narrowed his eyes, trying to make out who exactly it was. He looked – different, with attire no other Smasher wore. A large hat covered a good portion of his long blue hair, and his dressing looked slightly out of place. The strange person stepped through the crowd without a problem, and then bent, squatting in front of Lucario, his long cloak settling gently about him. He looked surprisingly clean in the blood-splattered, debris-filled hall, and Lucario suddenly realised he looked familiar...

The person smiled, and then stretched out his hand, ruffling the fur on Lucario's head. Lucario just stared at him, his jaw open in a surprised gape, not taking in the young Smashers' screaming his name, or the tears that started to stream down from his eyes. The translucent person stopped, and then stood up, straightening up to his full height.

_Good job, Rukario. _Sir Aaron held out a hand to Lucario, smiling.

_Welcome back._

---

Lucario had suddenly stiffened, although his fur still glowed insubstantially. He looked slightly past Marth and Ike, as if fascinated by something in the background. All of a sudden, the Aura Pokémon started tearing, and small rivulets of tears dampened his fur, Lucario starting to shudder slightly in a way which had nothing to do with pain.

Fox happened to be the closest there. As Lucario slowly, and jerkily, raised his paw, Fox caught it, cradling the soft fur as Lucario apparently stared straight into his face, tears still streaming and his mouth curving in the slightest smile. Lucario's paw pressed against Fox's, as if he was trying to stand up. The Star Fox pilot continued to yell at Lucario, begging for him to snap out of it. Pikachu nuzzled Lucario's torso, mixing his tears into Lucario's bloodied fur.

The forepaw he held started to tremble. Fox looked up, and his eyes met Lucario's, both pairs moist. Something changed in Lucario's eyes, and he suddenly stared at the vulpine with newfound recognition, as if wondering how he got there in the first place. He then looked around, at Snake, Meta Knight, and all the Smashers who gathered about him in a noisy semi-circle, then back at Fox again.

He closed his red eyes, allowing his head to tilt slightly to the side. _Thank you all,_ his telepathic voice still sounded the same, although Snake discerned that Lucario's chest heaved less with each breath, and small motes of light started to gather around the Aura Pokémon. _Thank – you... _the voice came slightly fainter as Lucario smiled, his eyes closed, his paw still held by Fox as he grew even more insubstantial, the Smashers starting to see the dusty floor through him.

"Rukario!" someone snapped, as if commanding the Pokémon to stay, although the voice broke on the last syllable and was replaced by a teary choke.

Pikachu's head thudded against the floor as he suddenly realised Lucario's torso fur wasn't there anymore, and Fox numbly gripped his paw against another that he couldn't find.

---

_The Blaster had shot once, the blast ringing oddly loud in the decimated Hall. Fox's grip on it was shaky and trembling, but the single shot had flown true and connected squarely with Tabuu's exposed neck. There had been an unearthly screech, and an explosion of dark blue smoke which filled the Hall, causing the Smashers to splutter and gasp. Fox, however, had stood unblinking, the Blaster still pointed dead ahead and shivering in his grasp._

_When the thick blue smoke had finally thinned out, the last Subspace portal containing the protruding Gunship had receded, neatly slicing the destroyed Gunship into two as the portal shrank into nothingness. The wrecked metal had hit the ground of the Hall with a loud _clang_ and buried itself an inch in the rubble. More importantly, perhaps, Tabuu was gone - or had simply disappeared from their sight and returned to Subspace? The lingering doubt of his return still kept the younger Smashers awake at night sometimes, but they knew that he wouldn't be coming back for at least a while._

---

After the Hands had recovered, the Smash Mansion had been reconstructed. Each part of the Mansion that had been destroyed by the invasion was recovered – although there were new additions to the Mansion, specifically, in a slightly breezy spot in the Garden grounds.

Fox numbly traced _Lombardi_ on the cold headstone, shaking his ginger head with a sad smile. He straightened up, stepping backwards, viewing the grave in its entirety. His gaze shifted to include the newer graves in the shallow grove, his sharp eyes picking out the names, even though they were slightly eroded over time.

After the vicious backhanded slap from Tabuu, the Negative Zone could not protect its creator as Luigi was smashed across the Hall. Fox couldn't help but regret not spending more time with the mild-mannered plumber, but that was beyond him now. A small number of other graves lined up next to theirs, but Fox had already paid his respects to them.

---

_The circle around the Garden had looked significantly smaller - not only were there lesser fighters in it, the number of graves they encircled had grown since then. The cool evening was interrupted by various wails, Pokemon cries and silence as the Smashers started to come to terms with their loss that dark evening._

_Fox nearly had to bury his rival, but Wolf pulled through, managing a half-hearted smirk at a relieved vulpine. The Hands were also on the receiving end of Lucario's Aura - subsequently, when they regained consciousness afterwards, they set about wordlessly repairing the Mansion and reconstructing the Hall._

_Some other Smashers and Assist Trophies weren't so lucky. Mario and Peach had moved the limp body of Luigi out to the Garden grove that evening. The double Links greived for their fallen princess, and even Ganondorf had stopped short when her body was recovered in the rubble. The Assist Trophy Pokemon's Trainer had suffered serious injuries during his fight, being on the wrong end of several of Tabuu's enraged strikes. The Pokemon trudged silently behind Ganondorf and Bowser, who to everyone's surprise, had silently volunteered to carry his body after Dr. Mario had exited the emergency ward with his head down._

_Much earlier on, the fox had started to wander around the battlefield, trying to search out survivors, when his vision came across Snake and Lucario. He started to walk towards the duo. Two steps later, Lucario's back arched, Lucario gripping the floor in silent pain, and Fox broke into a run._

---

Fox sighed inwardly as he remembered Lucario. He didn't know the details, but he knew he was indebted to him for saving his life – twice over – and Fox's respect for the quiet Pokémon had grown since then. Bowing his head in the direction of the graves once again, the vulpine smiled, sharing a quiet moment as the wind whispered in the trees.

The trees rocked gently in the breeze, Fox closing his eyes to feel the soft touch on his cheeks. He knew, for one, that although he knew to move forward, that he would always remember. Turning around, he walked back into the Mansion, the double doors closing behind him as he joined the rest of the chattering Smashers for breakfast.

Lucario didn't have a grave, having no body for anyone to bury. Instead, a small pile of stones was gathered together, a mark of respect for the Guardian of the Aura. It was Fox who suggested the idea for Lucario's monument - and he had made it himself, too. Kneeling down, he had gathered a small mound of pebbles and rocks, and laid them carefully in front of the small headstone beside Falco's, running his paw past the cold stone and its grooves spelling Lucario's name. With no belongings, there was indeed little to remember him by. Although they knew they'd keep him in their memory, unknown to the fighters, however – his Aura was with them.

The sun – or whatever provided the light – poked a ray past the horizon, bathing the horizon in a shimmering golden glow. The grass swayed slightly in the breeze, as the golden flood slowly claimed the Garden grounds inch by inch. The Smash Mansion was soon showered in a magnificent light show, softly illuminating the Mansion from the ground to its roof.

**End**

_**Remembrance**_

_**---**_

Days of Our Lives Arc

_Introduction  
Claustrophobia  
Checkmate  
Days of Our Lives  
_**Remembrance  
**_Reflection_


End file.
